Probably the latter. It would take the account to appear for a change in score - the hardpull inquiry would actually lower your score. However, if your new CL decreases your utilization significantly, adding a new account could help your score.

True, if it's not reporting yet, it's not helping.  Probably older stuff coming off.  When it does report, you'll take a AAoA hit but that'll heal fast and the new TL will start decreasing util.

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Starting Score: 504

Current Score: EQ FICO 819, TU08 778, EX "Who Knows?" Quizzle 756
Goal Score: All Scores 760+, Newest goal 800+
Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge

When my Chase Freedom started reporting, my score went up a little bit (don't remember exactly how much, it was a year ago) but that was because it significantly helped my util

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jeffg330 wrote:
Thnx all. My new (unsecured) card is my only open CL that reports to EQ. I mistakenly got a secured CC in April that only reported to EX and TU, those scores went up 40 points each. Hoping to get only half of that with EQ. My AAOC was 8 years....

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If we're talking about maximizing FICO I strongly suspect two open credit cards helps vis a vis the anecdotal information people have shared on installment loans over time.... seems to hold on revolving tradelines too and logically I don't see why it'd work any differently in two similar places in the model... assuming the estimation is right in the first place.

If you're not on the path of auto or mortgage in the next year or so, personally I'd go open another that reports to all three bureaus.  Out of curiosity, what secured card only reports to EX/TU?  If you live west of the Mississippi that's probably mostly fine historically, but lender pulls are kinda wonky in the information age and no longer pull on regional lines in the national lender cases.

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Starting Score: EQ 561, TU 567, EX 599* (12/30/11, EX lender pull 12/29/11)
Current Score: EQ 648, Wally TU 673, EX 687 (06/15/13)
Goal Score: 680 in all three (01/01/14)

Take the FICO Fitness Challenge

Yes a hard inquiry can sometimes raise your score. It depends on which bucket you are for your range of scores. If there are no inquiries reporting, probably because you stopped seeking credit due to derogs, this snapshot could be different from your peers in the same score bucket who have been active in applying for credit over a one yeard period, and expected to be doing so. 

My score behaved the same way too over a 2 month period.